Town’s day out

Thursday

May 31, 2007 at 12:01 AMMay 31, 2007 at 12:46 PM

Seventy-one local organizations set up booths behind Michelson’s Shoes to show their wares, say hello and have some fun during the five-hour event. Eric and Jerry Michelson now organize discovery Day, ever since the Lexington Chamber of Commerce almost canceled the event in 2001.

“We had more people coming down and exhibiting than ever before, which was great,” said Eric Michelson. “It was well worth the time and effort we put into it.”

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Ian B. Murphy/Staff Writer

Seventy-one local organizations set up booths behind Michelson’s Shoes to show their wares, say hello and have some fun during the five-hour event. Eric and Jerry Michelson now organize discovery Day, ever since the Lexington Chamber of Commerce almost canceled the event in 2001.

“We had more people coming down and exhibiting than ever before, which was great,” said Eric Michelson. “It was well worth the time and effort we put into it.”

There were booths representing a range of interests, from the Lexington Farmer’s Market, which starts June 12, to the “Yes” and “No” override campaigns for the vote on June 5. Also present were representatives from the Department of Public Works to support their new building, and several firefighters and policemen.

The police officers displayed their traffic enforcement equipment, gave away bicycle helmets, signed women up for Officer Crayton and Officer French’s Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) class, and showed off their cruisers and a motorcycle, ever-popular with children.

“The biggest draw is the kids with the cruisers and the motorcycle,” said Captain Charles Sargent. “We put hundreds of people through that. It was a great community policing event.”

Officers volunteered their time to attend Discovery Day, and are compensated out of a community-policing grant from the state’s Executive Office of Public Safety.

“The officers enjoy interacting with the community, and displaying some of the programming we engage in as a department,” said Lt. Joseph O’Leary.

There was music and entertainment from start to finish, beginning with several performances from the Dance Inn. They were followed by Ben Rudnick and Friends, and then Mariachi Chapala who circulated the crowd, serenading at random. The day was ended by a long and impressive set from the Lexington High School Jazz Combo, a combination of jazz groups from LHS that played together.

“That was a great way to see [the musical acts] that the community has to offer,” said Michelson.